Sandra and Dave Chesterman stood overlooking Niagara Falls, the mist rising from the waters like an ethereal spirit freed from its resting place.

Carrying daughter Kristina's smiling photograph and a tiny floral urn with her ashes, they experienced what Kristina had only imagined when she scrawled a visit to the falls on her "bucket list."

"I found myself thinking how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful world," Sandra said. "I'm approaching 50 years old, and I am just now learning how to appreciate life. Kristina's death has taught me how to live."

The aspiring nurse died Sept. 22 after being struck in a hit-and-run accident by a suspected drunken driver near the Chico State campus. Chesterman, who was 21, left behind a bright future in medicine -- as well as a wish list of unfulfilled adventures now being accomplished by inspired strangers in her stead, such as visiting the Seven Wonders of the World, or taking a boat ride along the canals of Venice.

The story of the nursing student from Livermore has become the subject of a national and international media blitz. Her parents -- along with a "family" of transplantees living with Kristina's organs -- are taking on roles as spokespeople for organ donation.

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Because Kristina was a donor, five Northern California residents have received a new lease on life. Through Facebook, Sandra met two of the grateful transplantees -- Zak Pappachan, a kidney recipient from Fremont, and 1-year-old Jayden Kirby, also from Fremont, who received part of Kristina's liver.

The landing place for her heart remained a mystery until late March. Transplant recipient Susan Vieira, a retired Santa Clara County public health nurse from Campbell, read about Kristina in this newspaper and immediately suspected she'd found her donor.

"Being a nurse, I felt she was a kindred spirit," Vieira said. "I said, 'This gal's bucket list is exactly like the curriculum vitae (résumé) of my life.' ... It was scary."

Born with a congenital heart defect that worsened to heart failure, Vieira would have died had she not received a timely transplant. Convinced Kristina saved her life, she contacted Sandra and, within hours, they met. Sandra listened to Kristina's heart beat once again, using Kristina's stethoscope; and both women were floored by eerie similarities between donor and recipient -- such as a common interest in providing better health care in undeveloped countries.

After the meeting, Kristina's story went viral, making news on CNN, ABC's "Good Morning America," NBC's "Today Show," international media, and most recently, on CBS' "On the Road With Steve Hartman."

Facebook, which played a key role in connecting the Chestermans with recipients, is planning a feature. And the makers of the self-help documentary "The Secret" are including Kristina in a follow-up movie called "Power of the Heart," alongside Maya Angelou, Jane Goodall and other influential women.

"It's just been a roller-coaster ride for us," Sandra said. "Now everybody's getting to see what she was like."

Though their heartbreak is still fresh, the Chestermans are relaying the story publicly to raise awareness of organ donation. At a recent Silicon Valley Kidney Walk in San Jose for the National Kidney Foundation, the Chestermans and kidney recipient Pappachan and his wife, Angela, were the guests of honor.

"(Kristina) had a purpose, but fate had a different plan," Zak Pappachan said. "I will never be able to say thank you to her mom and dad enough. I got my life back."

Nine months after his transplant, Zak is healthy, balancing work with raising his infant daughter, RayeAnn. Angela is committed to raising money for the Kristina Chesterman Memorial Foundation.

"A year ago, my husband wasn't the same man," Angela said. "To see the rejuvenated sense he has and to see the father he is now ... there is no greater gift to a wife and mother than that."

Before the walk, the Chestermans, Pappachans, and Vieira gathered at the Chesterman home, taking family pictures. Christine Kirby brought along son Jayden, calling the group "transplant siblings."

Even in death, Kristina continues to inspire. The Kristina Chesterman Memorial Scholarship at Chico State is already funded for the next 30 years. A Livermore blood drive held in her memory became one of the most successful mobile drives the American Red Cross ever had in Northern California.

Well-wishers from all over the world have contacted the Chestermans to say they've registered as organ donors after hearing their daughter's story. Friends and strangers alike have fulfilled items on her bucket list -- taking photos of Kristina along on trips to Venice, the Four Corners, and on cross-country train rides.

"Somehow, her story brings out the best in people," Dave said. "It's like a ripple effect. When a pebble falls in the water, it continues to grow. It's got a life of its own."

It was at Kristina's memorial service when Chico State nursing instructor Darcy Lewis, searching for a doctoral thesis, had the idea of building a medical clinic in Nigeria and naming it for Kristina. The foundation not only has enough money to start building it, but also to buy the land it will occupy. Scheduled to break ground in September, it could open by next summer.

While they await the upcoming criminal trial of suspect Riley Hoover to provide some closure, the Chestermans take comfort in their daughter's reverberating legacy, and the sense her death was not in vain.

"It makes me proud of Kristina that she's made this kind of impact," Sandra said. "She was special. She's changing the world, and she's not even here. Maybe it was her destiny. She continues to shine."